


Magic & Mischief

by honeynweasleys



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, F/M, Fred Weasley Lives, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Fourth Year, Jealous Cedric Diggory, Jealous Draco Malfoy, Jealous Fred Weasley, Jealousy, Love Triangles, Protective Fred Weasley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:20:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeynweasleys/pseuds/honeynweasleys
Summary: Be a part of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and join the Golden Trio on their adventures.You, the reader, are a fourth year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's not easy being a transfer student from America, especially when you're the daughter of Sirius Black. But what's life without a little mischief?You will experience magic, overcome challenges, participate in elaborate pranks, build friendships and encounter enemies. You might even fall in love, but jealousy arises.Enter a new perspective on the stories you love as one of the main characters.(Spoiler: This is a Fred Weasley love interest fanfiction, including side romances with Cedric Diggory and Draco Malfoy.)Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership over any of the characters or of the Harry Potter world. This work is only for entertainment purposes and I am not profiting from this.
Relationships: Cedric Diggory/Original Female Character(s), Cedric Diggory/Reader, Draco Malfoy/Reader, Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Fred Weasley/Reader, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some minor changes. The characters in the Harry Potter series are aged up a year.
> 
> Harry and Ron are fifteen years old. You and Hermione are sixteen. Fred and George are eighteen. Cedric is nineteen.
> 
> In order to enter the Triwizard Tournament, you must be nineteen years old. This is the same age to use magic outside of school and gain your apparition license.

This story takes place as if you were in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It is written in the first person so that you may experience the story as if you were reading a diary. Therefore, you will notice that I did not include a first name in this book so that you can feel a more personal connection.

You are the daughter of Sirius Black. He had met your mother during one summer vacation in America, joined by his friends James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. He fell in love and would consistently visit during holidays.

Eventually, they had you. Sirius became worried since things in the Wizarding World were becoming exponentially worse as Voldemort's followers grew. Many Order of the Phoenix members' families were dying at the hands of the Death Eaters.

Sirius explained to your mother that he was a wizard and for our safety, he would not return until the war was over, in case of being followed. Our secret keeper was Lupin and they both casted a protection spell over the house.

You did not know that it would be the last time you see your father.

It was Lupin who returned to inform your mother what had happened to the Potter's, but more importantly what Sirius had done.

Although the two of them could not believe that Sirius would do such a thing, there was no evidence to prove otherwise. They decided it would be best for you and your mother to move on with our lives. Every so often, Lupin would visit and update you on the wizarding world in the UK while you continued your education in America.

This is where your story begins...


	2. Thirteen Years Later

Over the years, I had been attending muggle school during the day and then a small wizarding school in the late evening hours. I lived far from Ilvermorny and although they had a boarding program, my mom always felt I was too young to live far from her and preferred for me to grow up with normal people. It was bothersome to juggle two schools at once, but it was something I was willing to do since I could practice my magic.

My mom would often talk about my father, Sirius Black, while showing me photos of them and reminiscing on their memories together. The last time I saw him, I was three years old.

"You're a lot like him then you know," my mom giggled. "Always getting into trouble."

She explained what had happened to him and the Potter's, but it never seemed like she believed any word of it. Why would he give his best friend up to the Dark Lord and kill all those innocent muggles? She never understood. It was unlike him.

However, last year we got word that my dad had escaped from Azkaban and was on the run. 

Remus Lupin, my godfather, assured us that everything will be fine and that my cousin, Nymphadora Tonks, will be staying with my mother and I in case of danger. Meanwhile, he will be teaching at Hogwarts to ensure that Harry Potter, James's son, was safe.

My mother and I grew fond of Tonks. She was a lot of fun and taught me alot of magic that I hadn't learned yet. Every day was an adventure with her and she always reassured me that she'll keep us safe.

We hadn't heard much from Lupin throughout the year, but Tonks read the daily prophet for updates. As far as we knew, he was still somewhere in the U.K. and he was close to the school. By the end of my school year, there was no change on the status of Sirius Black.

However, when Lupin finally returned to our house at the beginning of the new summer, he brought a guest. As usual, he apparated in the yard, but this time accompanied by an older man who introduced himself as Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts.

He informed us of Sirius' innocence and that it was Peter Pettigrew who had betrayed them. With the help of Harry and his friends, they were able to free my dad from dementors but unable to prevent Pettigrew from escaping. With Pettigrew gone, Sirius was unable to prove his innocence.

"So where is he now?" I asked.

"He's currently hiding, somewhere in the British Virgin Islands we believe. He had flown a long way using a hippogriff," Lupin informed us. "But he's safe and that's what matters."

My mom sighed in relief. "I knew he wouldn't have done such a thing. I'm glad he's safe."

"There are, however, a few things that we must take into caution," Dumbledore spoke, regaining our attention. "It has come to my attention that the Ministry of Magic has recently learned of your existence, but are unable to locate your household since it is under fidelius charm. With Remus as secret keeper, he was able to share your location with us, thus giving us the chance to meet.

"However," he continued. "The moment you step foot outside the charm's barrier, you will become detectable. The ministry does not wish to harm you, but are rather on the lookout to see if Sirius will return to your home. If he does, they will arrest him before he can cross the protective boundary."

"What if he does come back? He'll be taken!" I frowned worriedly.

"Not to worry my dear. I have sent a letter of warning to Sirius and I do think that it is unlikely that he would be able to travel internationally without being seen. Therefore, there is nothing to fear." 

My mom and I exchanged looks of relief.

"There is one more thing," Dumbledore focused his attention on me. "I would like to extend an invitation, if you will. For generations, your family has attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including your father. There you would learn the proper use for magic and how to control it. More than what your school can provide here."

My mom opened her mouth to argue, but Dumbledore went on before she could speak.

"I understand that she would be far from home, but I can assure you that she will be in good hands. It is a boarding school, so living quarters will not be an issue. If you would like, perhaps a private conversation in another room?"

They excused themselves to a separate room while I remained in the living room with Lupin and Tonks.

"Would you be teaching at the school?" I asked Remus but he shook his head.

"Unfortunately not. I have resigned from my position. Like I've explained before, people are not keen on having any association with my kind. Once parents receive word that their children's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is a werewolf, I would have been forced out either way."

"It's terrible," Tonks spat. "Just because some people are different, doesn't mean they should be casted away like garbage."

Lupin smiled at her fondly. "Nevertheless, Hogwarts is the finest school to learn and worth attending," he stated. "You would love it."

"I'm not the one needing convincing," I mumbled, referring to my mother.

"Dumbledore is very good at persuading others. I'm sure he and your mother will come to an agreement."

Not a moment too long, Dumbledore and my mother re-entered the room.

"We have come to an accord. You will be attending Hogwarts this upcoming school year."

I looked at my mom in excitement and she gave a small nod, confirming the statement. "But you will return during the summer!" She affirmed and I ran to hug her.

Dumbledore then handed me my acceptance letter, my school supply list, and a train ticket for the Hogwarts Express.

"I'm sure Nymphadora can assist with transporting you to London, as well as retrieving your school supplies." He glanced in her direction and she nodded enthusiastically. "Wonderful. I'll be in touch. Remus, if you would accompany me. We have things to take care of."

Bidding us farewell, they walked out into the yard where they disapparated from the spot with a pop.

For the remainder of the summer, Tonks shared stories of her time at Hogwarts and how much fun she had. It calmed a lot of my mom's worries.

"Traveling internationally is a lot more strenuous than traveling within the same country. It's too dangerous to apparate long distance and flying brooms would take too long if you're traveling overseas. All modes of international transportation need to be approved before departure," she explained.

She then placed an object onto the table. "Dumbledore has scheduled us a portkey that will leave precisely at midnight, a week from today."

"That's the portkey?" I examined the dusty, old boot. "How does it work?"

"Basically, you grab onto it and when it's time, it will transport us to our pre-arranged destination. In this case, my parent's house in London since we will be needing a place to stay."

"But you and Remus always apparate. Why aren't we doing that?"

"We apparate to the closest Floo network and use that to transport internationally, but you're too young to have an apparition license. We could use side-apparation, but portkeys are much faster and convenient when traveling with luggage. It just takes longer to get approved."

I spent that week packing my clothes in a backpack that Tonks had casted an expansion charm on. It saved us from bringing too much luggage and worked great since I threw practically through my whole closet in there.

When the day came, Tonks and my mother exchanged contact information. "Muggle objects don't work at Hogwarts due to high levels of magic," Tonks clarified. "She will use owls to send letters to my house and then I can mail them to you from London."

It helped that she was half-blood like me since she understood my mom's limited knowledge of the wizarding world. I only understood these things after learning at my wizarding school.

"Remind me again how that worked," Tonks inquired during dinner.

"Well, I attend my muggle high school from 8:00 am until 2:00 pm. Afterwards, I would go to my wizarding school from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Monday's would be potions, Tuesday's would be transfigurations, and so on. Weekends you can decide if you would like to take extracurricular classes."

"That's bloody brilliant, isn't it?" she said, infatuated. "It's like you get the best of both worlds. Have you ever attempted to use a spell in your muggle school?"

"Can't. I don't have my own wand."

"What? But you're sixteen! Surely you should have your own wand by now?" Tonks stared at me in disbelief, but I shook my head. "How do you practice spells then?"

"We use the ones that the school provides," I explained.

"Well at Hogwarts, you'll be needing to bring your own wand," she said with a smile. "That will be our first stop once we get to Diagon Alley."

Night came quickly and soon, we were standing in the yard in the middle of the night. The battered, frayed boot laid in front of us. I said my farewells to my mother, hugging her tightly and promising to write often.

"Be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry! She's in safe hands!" Tonks saluted. "Okay, one minute. Get in position."

I situated myself on the opposite end of her as we both gripped onto the portkey. "When it's time, you're going to feel a yank and won't be able to remove your hand from the spot it's placed. The force of the portkey will pull you with it and you will get a spinning sensation. Don't panic when that happens. It's normal."

I nodded to acknowledge that I heard her instructions. She began counting down. "10... 9... 8..."

I felt my heart pounding against my chest as the anticipation grew.

"7... 6..."

I squeezed the boot tighter as I felt my palms sweat.

"5... 4... "

I shut my eyes firmly, trying to focus on controlling my erratic breathing.

"3... 2... 1..."

And there was the pull. It was so strong, I could not remove my hand, even if I wanted to. I felt my legs lift into the air and kept my eyes closed as the sensation of spinning occurred.

Then, as fast as it happened, we landed with a thud. 

I opened my eyes to see Tonks looking around confused. Wherever we were, it was no longer nightfall as the sky was painted with a light pink. We landed on a beach and I could see the sun barely peeking off the horizon.

Before I could question our location, Tonks scrambled to her feet and pointed her wand out in front of her. She was staring at the figure who was seated near the waterline, facing the ocean.

The figure turned towards us, a soft smile displayed on his lips. I heard Tonks gasp as she lowered her wand. "Sirius."

Despite his unkempt hair, overgrown beard, and dirty attire, I was able to recognize him from the pictures mom had always shown me. He got to his feet and walked over to us as I gaped like a fish out of water. "Dad?"

"I haven't got much time," he said hurriedly. "Dumbledore was able to tamper with the portkey and send you here for a few minutes. I begged him to let me see you before you head off to London." .

"How long have we got?" Tonks asked, stowing her wand into her back pocket.

"Less than three minutes, I'm guessing." Sirius picked up the boot and handed it to her. "I'd hold onto that, just in case I'm wrong. It's hard to keep track of time when you're on the run."

I stood in place, staring at the man in front of me as if this were all a dream. Sirius fidgeted nervously. 

"I'm sorry we had to meet this way, but I wanted to see you. I understand if you're confused or upset with me but-"

Before he could finish his sentence, I ran over to hug him. I felt him flinch at the sudden display of affection, but he immediately returned the hug, squeezing me tightly. I could feel the tears escaping my eyes as I embraced my dad.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," I cried. "Mom misses you so much."

"I've missed you both dearly," Sirius sighed. "How I wish I could go back to the old days."

We heard Tonks clear her throat and we reluctantly released from the hug. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but given that we don't know how much time until the portkey leaves, I really think she should keep at least a finger on the boot."

"Yes, of course." Sirius agreed, ushering me towards the portkey. I placed a hand on it, but I was afraid to leave him alone.

"Are you going to be okay? Do you have food? Shelter?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Besides, I've got this beautiful creature as company," he grinned, pointing to the hippogriff that was lounging near the shoreline. "I can't be in one place for too long, but this place has been really comfortable for the time being. I'm just really happy to see you. You've grown up so well."

He quickly explained what happened that night, 13 years ago, and how he ended up in Azkaban. He also told me about his ability to shift into a dog and since he's an unregistered animagus, he was able to escape Azkaban undetected by the dementors.

"One of my bestest friend's son, Harry Potter, is the reason I'm standing in front of you today. Brave like his father," Sirius stated with a smile. "I'm his godfather, you see, but even I had failed at that duy as well. If only the secret keeper duty didn't change, James would be here right now."

"It wasn't your fault," I frowned. "You couldn't have known."

"A mistake I have to live with," Sirius said sadly but the smile never left his face. "I do hope that you and Harry have the chance of meeting. You both are very special to me. If possible, I want you to stay close to that boy. You two are more alike than you know."

"Dad I-" but before I could finish my sentence, I was yanked by the portkey and everything around me spun, blurring my vision.

I closed my eyes to prevent myself from getting motion sickness. Within a few seconds, I landed in a small open area, surrounded by grass. Taking in my surroundings, I realized that we had been transported to our original destination. London.

Tonks placed a comforting hand on my shoulder as I held the boot in my hands, a rush of sadness washing over me.

"I'll go let my parents know we're here," she whispered. "Take all the time you need.. When you're ready, join us inside."

She disappeared into the house, but I remained sitting in the yard.

The only thoughts that ran through my mind was that Sirius was alone again, in hiding, with no one to talk to. Our conversation was short, but I was glad to finally see him again.

It took a few minutes for my tears to stop flowing and after pulling myself together, I followed after Tonks.

Everything's going to be different now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I apologize for a boring start, but it's a filler so the story will make sense later. I promise the next chapters will be more interesting. Thank you for reading!


	3. Diagon Alley

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scourgify: a cleaning charm used to make an object clean.  
> (Also could be used for punishing people who swore, as the spell causes human mouths to be filled with soap)

Tonk’s parents welcomed me warmly into their home and showed me to the guest room where I will be staying. “You can leave your belongings in here and join us for brunch,” her father, a muggle-born wizard named Ted, instructed. “It will take some time to adjust to the timezone, but it’s best if you eat before you rest.”

I placed my bag in the room and joined them downstairs. Tonks looked enraged as she read the newest daily prophet. 

“I can’t believe it! This happened last night?” She slammed the paper onto the table. “The nerves those death eaters had to pull this stunt. I’m shocked by the lack of security.”

I looked down at the discarded newspaper and read the headline:

**SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP**

“We couldn’t believe it either,” her mom added, placing the food on the table. “I’m sure the ministry has a lot on their plate right now. It’s still unknown who conjured it.”

Tonks must have read the confusion on my face as she filled me in on what had happened. 

“I was supposed to be there too. That is until Dumbledore asked me to stay with you. The Quidditch World Cup is a huge event that almost every wizard and witch from around the world attend.” 

Checking to see if her parents were busy in discussion, she then leaned in towards me and spoke in a whisper. 

“The Ministry must have had their hands full with the world cup, they didn’t notice Dumbledore had tampered with the portkey. I think he took advantage and was able to sneak us to Sirius. ” 

I thought about what she said throughout brunch. When I was excused to my room, I laid in bed wondering if I had made the right decision coming here. The newspaper’s image of the dark mark twinkling over the treetops remained burned into my memory.

  
  
  
  
  


Throughout the week, Tonks and her parents carried out their days as they normally would. They had jobs to return to, but said I was welcomed to treat their home as my own. I spent most of my time exploring the garden or reading some of Tonks' old spell books.

It was not until the following week that Tonks finally had a break from work and was able to take me to Diagon Alley for my school supplies. 

“Sorry I haven’t been around much,” she apologized. “Work has been crazy since the attack.”

“What is it that you do?” I asked her as she searched for her jar of floo powder in the kitchen cabinet. 

“I work at the ministry as an auror. Just finished my training not too long ago, actually. Aha!” Tonks found the jar filled with green dust that was hiding in the very back of all kitchen condiments. “I knew we had some left.”

She ushered me to the fireplace and I followed. “Have you ever traveled using the floo network?”

“No, but I learned about it in school,” I answered honestly. 

“Great, then this won’t be difficult to understand.” She uncapped the jar and instructed me to reach in and grab a handful. “Just stand inside the fireplace, say ‘Diagon Alley’, and throw it down. I’ll be right behind you.”

I nodded and stepped into place. With a deep breath I shouted, “Diagon Alley!” 

I threw down the powder, suddenly enveloped in cold, green flames and felt myself being launched upward. After a moment's time, I landed hard on my feet and fell forward, catching myself with my hands out in front of me. 

I crawled out of the firepit and stood in a foreign room as I dusted myself off. Not long after, Tonks stood in the pit from which I exited from. “See, easy,” she said with a cough, fanning away the black cloud of dust. “You did very well.”

I looked around at the empty room, taking notice of the many different fireplaces. “Where are we?”

“This shop is for people arriving by Floo. Now the real destination is out there.” I followed her lead, exiting the shop and widening my eyes at the many stores. “Welcome to Diagon Alley. The best shopping area for all your wizarding needs.”

I gasped at the busy alleyway, filled with people dressed in long robes and children running around with their wands. “This place is amazing.” 

“C’mon,” she said, pulling me along. “Let’s go get your money.”

“Money?”

She pulled me towards a building labeled Gringotts Wizarding Bank where many wizards of all ages were filing in and out. Once inside the bank, we stood in the queue. 

“Tonks. I don’t think I have a bank account here,” I said, feeling out of place. 

“Of course you do!” She looked at me as if I had said something ridiculous. “You’re bloody rich.”

“What?”

“Honestly, you really don’t know? You come from one of the largest, oldest, and wealthiest pure-blooded families in Britain. Sirius may have hated them, but he wasn’t stupid enough to not take all his fortune before running away from home.” 

She explained my family tree and I remembered Lupin telling me about how Sirius never felt accepted at home, nor did he agree with his family’s views. He used to live with James’ family before he met my mother and had me. He was also left with a large inheritance from his uncle’s will.

“According to Dumbledore, shortly after he left you and your mum, Sirius moved all his money from his account into one he had made for you. Then, unable to return to America without the risk of exposing your location, he left the key with Dumbledore as an extra precaution.”

She pulled out a key from her pocket and handed it to me which I held tightly in my hands, observing the gold color and family name carved onto the side. 

As we walked further inside the bank, I glanced at the goblins who were everywhere, carrying out their jobs. When it was our turn, I gave the goblin my key and he escorted us to my vault. He eyed me curiously throughout the journey, but Tonks would often block his line of vision towards me. 

When we arrived at my vault, it was filled with a variety of bronze, silver, and gold coins. Every crevice of the vault was filled that even Tonks was taken back at how much I inherited.

“Let’s not take more than you need,” she instructed, feeling a small pouch with gold. 

“This should be more than enough,” Tonks stated once the pouch was filled. She handed it to me before directing the goblin to close the door. “Anything left over you can take with you to school as pocket money.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Our first stop was Olivanders for my wand which was a very unique experience. He instantly recognized me as Sirius Black’s daughter, but didn’t show any signs of judgement nor concern. The wand that chose me had a dragon heartstring core which, I learned, to be the same as my dad’s.

Upon leaving the shop, Tonks suggested that it’s best if we keep my identity a secret to refrain from unwanted attention. “Sirius is still being wanted,” she reminded me. “I trust that people won’t be as accepting towards you as Olivander was. Not yet, at least.”

We took our time exploring the different shops while searching for my school supplies, letting Tonks do all the talking while I followed along silently. 

“Alright. We’ve got your cauldron, potion ingredients, quills, books, plain robes and uniforms… but of course you would have to order the rest of your attire once you’ve been sorted into your house.” As we continued to walk again, I wondered if I would be sorted into Gryffindor like him.

“There’s a few things my mum asked me to grab before we return home. It shouldn’t take too long. Why don’t you explore and try some butterbeer ice cream? It’s the best in the wizarding world,” Tonks suggested, handing me the cauldron now filled with my supplies and money. 

We agreed to meet up in ten minutes at the Floo Transportation Shop where we had arrived. Deciding to take her up on the offer, I stopped at the [ **Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour** ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Florean_Fortescue%27s_Ice_Cream_Parlour) which must have been very popular as it was filled with many customers.

As I entered the shop, I shuffled through my cauldron, trying to search for the galleons Tonks had placed inside. Struggling to obtain them, since they were at the very bottom, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and ran into someone who let out a yelp. 

“Merlin’s beard that’s cold!”

I looked up to see a tall, handsome boy with dark hair and green eyes, staring down at me in shock. I looked at his attire and saw his ice cream smeared all over his chest, running down his shirt. 

“I’m so sorry!” I exclaimed, looking for something to wipe the mess from him. “Oh god. I should have watched where I was going.” 

I reached over to the nearest table and grabbed a handful of napkins to clean the mess , dabbing his shirt although it seemed to make it worse. It was completely stained.

“I’ll buy you another shirt,” I frowned. 

He grabbed my wrist to stop me and started laughing. “There’s no need for that.”

I raised an eyebrow in question as he released my hand, only to pull out his wand and mutter a _Scourgify_ charm. I gasped as it instantly cleaned up the ice cream and made his shirt good as new. 

Lowering his wand, he smiled at me in amusement. “You’re acting as if you’ve never seen magic before. You’re not a muggle, are you?”

“I thought students aren’t allowed to use magic outside of school.” 

“Actually, I just turned nineteen this summer,” he said, grinning. “Which means I’m legally allowed to now.” 

“Well at least let me buy you another ice cream. I should have been paying attention. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” 

“It’s not entirely your fault,” he said, following me into the line. “I was reading this and accidentally ran into you.”

He raised the daily prophet in his hand with the latest news on the attack at the World cup. A moving image was displaying the dark mark over the burnt tents that were spread throughout a large field. 

“Still, I would feel like an ass the entire day if you didn’t let me replace your ice cream,” I insisted.

He smiled at my statement and thanked me as we moved down the queue. “You’re American?” 

“What? How did you know?”

He was laughing again. “Would you believe me if I said it was your accent?”

Realization suddenly washed over me. I mentally face palming myself for not thinking about that sooner. 

“I’m an idiot.” I said in embarrassment. “Sorry, I guess I’ve got so used to hearing the British accent, it must have slipped my mind."

“It’s fine, really,” he chuckled. “Let’s just say it was a lucky guess.”

I smiled at his remark and we moved down the queue. When it was finally our turn, a tall older man was standing behind the counter, looking rather confused.

“Cedric Diggory, back so soon?” He said. “I know you love my ice cream but that was rather fast.”

“Actually, Mr. Fortescue, I didn’t get the chance since I dropped it on my way out,” replied the boy next to me.

“It wasn’t his fault,” I cut in. “I accidentally ran into him and spilt it all over his shirt. I said I’d buy him another ice cream for my mistake.”

The ice cream shop owner looked rather proud than disappointed at the situation, given his wide grin. “Alright then, same as the last?” He asked Cedric who nodded. “And you, young lady?”

“I heard great things about your butterbeer ice cream,” I responded excitedly. 

“So you’ve heard correctly.” He made two large scoops of butterbeer ice cream and placed them into separate cups for each of us. I pulled out my coins to pay, but Mr. Fortescue raised his hand in protest. “On the house.”

I looked at him in shock and made to argue but he shook his head. “Accidents happen and it was a kind of you to pay for Mr. Diggory’s replacement. I’m feeling generous myself.” He said, handing us our ice cream and motioning us away. “Please, enjoy.”

I thanked him, smiling brightly as we found an empty table in the corner of the shop. 

“So what brings you to London?” Cedric asked curiously.

“I’m transferring to Hogwarts this year,” I answered. 

“Really? I go there too. What year are you in?”

“Fourth, you?”

“I’m in my sixth year.” 

“At least I now know one person,” I said, indulging myself in the ice cream and muttering how good it tasted. “Honestly, this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

“If you think that’s good, I know a place in Hogsmeade that serves great butterbeer drinks. It’s not far from Hogwarts. I could take you sometime.” He said and I hummed in acknowledgment, mouth full of ice cream. 

After a moment of comfortable silence as we both ate our ice creams, Cedric looked at me curiously, fiddling with his spoon. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“I didn’t throw it,” I smirked. Cedric laughed but didn’t look as if he was going to drop the topic. 

“Well it’s only fair since you know mine. I must know the name of the culprit who slammed ice cream onto my shirt.”

“Sorry, I don’t recall such an incident,” I said feigning innocence as I finished the last of my ice cream with a playful grin. “Your shirt looks clean to me.”

His smile remained on his face as he shook his head in disbelief, but I was suddenly free from more questioning when a group of girls entered the shop and came running over, shouting Cedric’s name. 

“Cedric! Fancy seeing you here!” One of them exclaimed happily. 

“Saw you at the Quidditch World Cup,” said another. “Great match, wasn’t it? Although you’re just as great of a player.” 

“I just bought a new broom for quidditch tryouts this school year. Would you like to see?” Said the third girl.

Cedric looked at me hesitantly and the girls seemed to finally take notice of my presence after following his gaze. “Oh, sorry, are we interrupting something?”

“No, not at all,” I smiled at them, feeling rather relieved to escape. “I was actually just leaving.”

I stood from my seat and Cedric looked up at me, rather reluctant to see me leave, but I explained that I really should start heading back to my cousin. “It was nice meeting you, Cedric. Maybe I’ll see you around school?"

He nodded as the girls filled the empty seats at the table and I discarded my empty cup, exiting the shop. 

Tonks arrived at the Floo shop a few minutes after me and I noticed she was carrying something rather large as she entered that let out a high pitched squeak from underneath the cloth. 

“Um, Tonks, what is that?”

“A welcoming gift,” she said, pulling it off and revealing a small barn owl, perched inside of the cage. “Surprise! Do you like it? I figured you’ll be needing one to send letters.”

I took ahold of the cage, admiring the owl inside. “This is perfect. Thanks Tonks!”

“We better get a move on. Lots of packing to do!” And with my new pet in hand, we headed back home.


	4. Aboard the Hogwarts Express

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: In this series, Draco is not related to you.
> 
> His mom, Narcissa, comes from another pureblood wizarding family, but grew up with the Blacks. Bellatrix Lestrange is Narcissa's best friend (not her sister) in this series.

The day of departure finally arrived and I was packing the last of my belongings into my school trunk, glad that Tonks used the extension charm on it so I could fit everything inside. Hershey, my barn owl, was pacing around in her cage, looking just as anxious as I was to leave. 

There was a knock at my door and I rose to my feet to see Tonks standing there, seemingly bothered. “What’s wrong?”

“The Minister of Magic is downstairs. He would like to speak with you before we leave.” 

  
  
  
  
  


We proceeded downstairs to find a man draped in a long, black robe, drinking tea with Tonks’ parents. I cleared my throat to catch their attention and the MInister turned around to greet me properly. 

“Hello, my dear girl. Have everything sorted now, do you?” He said with a smile. 

“Yes Minister,” I responded courteously, fidgeting with my sweater as the nerves kicked in. He asked if we could speak privately with me for a moment and ushered me to follow him into the yard.

We sat at the table on the patio and there was an almost immediate shift in the atmosphere. He cleared his throat before speaking. 

“As you may be aware, your father, Sirius Black, is on the run after escaping from Azkaban last year. Are you familiar with the crimes he had committed?”

Although I knew fully well that he was innocent, I nodded in acknowledgement towards the Minister’s statement. 

“Then you should know that he is very dangerous indeed. The Ministry believes that he may try to contact you and your mother in hopes of seeking refuge. Have you heard anything from Sirius in the past year?”

“No, sir,” I lied.

“Do you understand that it is unwise for you to withhold any information from the Ministry? If you do not tell me the truth, you are assisting a criminal.”

“I understand sir. If he were to contact me, you’ll be the first to know.”

That seemed to brighten the Minister’s mood as he relaxed his shoulders and held his head, high with a smile. “That’s what I like to hear. I’m glad you see it my way.”

I bit back a scoff, trying to not let my emotions get the best of me. I knew that the only way to protect my dad was to make the ministry believe that I was on their side. 

“Before the attack, your father left a fidelius charm on your household. Do you know who your secret keeper is?”

“No,” I lied once more. “He never told us.”

“I see. Well, seeing that you are attending Hogwarts gives me comfort in knowing that you are nearby in the case that Sirius does contact you. We have reason to believe that he is still in Britain since it would be nearly impossible for him to travel internationally without being spotted. With that being said, we can save our chat for another time.”

The Minister stood from his seat and motioned for me to join him back inside where Tonks was waiting in the living room, having brought down my belongings. 

“I have arranged a car that will drive you two to the train station. These are dark times, I’m afraid. It’s better to keep you safe.” He escorted us outside where he then bid us farewell and disapparated. 

The driver helped load my things into the car. When we arrived, Tonks showed me how to get through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, revealing platform 9 ¾ on the other end of the wall where the Hogwarts Express greeted it’s students. 

People scrambled all around us as they boarded the train with all their belongings and parents shouted their goodbyes and young first years waving from their cabinet’s windows. 

Tonks wished me good luck as I hulled my things onto the storage compartment, handing it to the assistant. 

After doing so, I searched around for an empty compartment, only finding one that was filled with one student. Seeing how crowded the train was becoming, I decided this might be my best luck and I joined the person inside. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Get out,” said the student who kept their head low with a hood over them, making it difficult for me to see who they are. 

I decided to ignore them, taking a seat anyway.

“Are you deaf?” The voice called out, now looking up. “I said get out.”

“No, I think I’ll stay,” I replied curtly. I sat on the long seat across from him but decided to keep a distance. He sat against the window, whereas I sat nearest to the door. 

“Don’t you know who I am?” 

I took notice of his features. Pale skin. Blonde, platinum-like hair. Blue eyes. 

“Jack Frost?” I answered sarcastically but the boy just looked at me like I was speaking another language. 

At that point, I was already irritated. “Look, I’m not leaving, so if you don’t like it, you can go.” I grabbed a book from my handbag, Hogwarts: A History, and began to read it in effort to ignore the student who continued to glare at me. 

“Mudblood.” He sneered. 

“Albino,” I snapped back. 

He gasped which made me look up at him with amusement spread across my face. “What?”

“I am _not_ albino,” he groaned.

“And I am _not_ a mudblood. Not that it should matter,” I replied in a bored manner before returning to my book, not taking kindly to his slur. It obviously annoyed the boy.

“You’ve got an American accent.”

“And you’ve got good ears,” I said sarcastically. 

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, mumbling something under his breath before looking out the window. The train began to sound and a few minutes later, we were departing the station. 

I could hear students shuffling outside in the corridors of the train. Some would open our carriage, but the boy would glare at them which would make them turn away, shutting the door behind them. 

Silence passed for a while before he spoke again. 

“Rubbish, that book.” I looked up to see him snickering at me. Arms crossed as he relaxed in his seat. “Quite boring really.”

“Well I’d rather stare at the book then to stare at you the whole trip.” I said.

“What’s your name?”

“You first.”

“You’re joking right?” He laughed, but it came to a halt when he saw I was serious. “You really don’t know who I am?”

"I thought it would be obvious by now," I said, discarded the book to the side.

“Draco Malfoy. Pureblood.”

“I didn’t ask for your bloodline.” I deadpanned before telling him who I was. 

I expected him to be fearful, knowing that I was the daughter of the _so-called_ mass killer, but instead, he seemed more interested.

“So it’s true then. The daughter of Sirius Black has come to Hogwarts,” Draco leaned forward with a smirk. “Our families are really close, you know. Mum’s best friends with your cousin, Bellatrix. Purebloods usually stick together.”

“I’m a bit out of the loop if you couldn’t tell.” I faked a smile. “And I’m a halfblood.”

It was silent for a few moments before Draco spoke up again. “What house are you in?”

“Don’t know. I find out when I get there I guess. Why? What are you?”

“Slytherin,” he smiled proudly. “Best house at Hogwarts.”

For the remainder of the ride, I let Draco brag about himself. He shared that he was a seeker on Slytherin’s quidditch team and how he was from one of the best and wealthiest pure-blood families. He laughed when he found out that I’ve never ridden a broom before.

“You’ve got to be joking.” 

“I’ve never needed to!” I defended myself. “If I had been flying on a broom back at home, I would have been caught by muggles instantly.”

“How’d you get around then?”

“Muggles have cars you know.”

“So are you going to be joining the first years then? Learning to fly a broom,” he teased and I threw my book at him. 

“Shut up.”

The rain outside began to pour down heavier and heavier as the train moved north. A lunch trolley eventually came around and to my surprise, Draco bought a few snacks for me to try after I confessed that I’ve never seen any of those treats in my life. 

Draco urged me to try the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. I ended up getting a vomit flavor and almost threw up in the cabinet as he laughed. “I hate you,” I groaned as I threw the jellybean out of the window, discarding the box to the side. 

I reached for the chocolate frog in hopes that it would get rid of the vomit flavor in my mouth, but that turned out to be a big mistake. I shrieked once it jumped out from the box. 

“Wait! It’s real?”

“Of course not!” Draco smirked. “They’re enchanted.”

The chocolate frog started hopping around our cabin and I couldn’t find the courage to grab it. Draco eventually stopped laughing and picked it up then threw it out the window. 

“It’s been all over the floor. There’s no way I'd let you eat that.” He said after I argued about wasting it.

I finally found haven in the butterbeer fudge after Draco insisted that there was nothing wrong with it. Time passed so fast, it wasn’t until the two boys found us and said that we were nearly there that we realized how long we were talking. 

“We’ve looked everywhere for you,” one of them complained. 

“Not well enough, have you Goyle? I’ve been sitting here this entire time,” Draco said uninterested.

Goyle looked at me curiously before informing Draco that they’ve got his robes in the back.

“I’m coming. Wait for me outside, will you?” Draco said dismissively. The two boys glanced at me, almost unsure, before leaving us alone again. 

“Oh, so you _do_ have friends.” I teased, causing him to roll his eyes.

“They’ve been staying at my place all summer, I needed a break.” He mumbled. “So much for peace and quiet though. You kept me awake this whole trip.”

“Hey, you’re the one who started the conversation,” I played innocent. “I was happily staring at my ‘oh-so-boring’ book.”

“Whatever,” he said, a small smile displayed on his face. Draco stood up and grabbed a small case that had been stored above. “See you around, Black.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


As the journey continued, students started shuffling around the train again. I guessed that it was time to put on my school robes and got changed into my uniform. Once I was back into my seat, I focused on my breathing to try and calm myself from the nerves.

“Bloody git! Thinks he knows everything and we don’t!” A voice growled from outside. “Made me smash the cauldron cake in anger, now it’s gone to waste!”

“Honestly Ronald, just forget about it.”

Suddenly, the door opened and a girl peered inside, smiling at me. Behind her were two other boys. 

“Sorry, I hope you don’t mind if we join you. Our carriage, well, it’s a bit of a mess,” she said, glaring at the ginger haired boy who looked very upset about something. 

“Not at all.” I motioned to the empty seats.

“Thanks,” she smiled and they entered the compartment, joining me. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Hermione Granger.”

I immediately recognized her name.

She then pointed at the two boys. “This is Ron Weasley and, well, I’m not sure if Harry needs an introduction."

“Wait, you’re Harry Potter?” I stared at the boy who was sitting awkwardly against the window.

“Um, yeah. Hi."

I introduced myself and the three of them gasped. 

“Bloody hell! We were wondering where you were,” Ron exclaimed. 

“Wait. You know me?”

“Sirius wrote to me about you,” Harry explained, seemingly interested. “He’s my godfather and were very good friends with my parents. I’m not sure if he explained the details.”

“Yeah, he did,” I replied with a smile. "He told me everything. I can’t thank you all enough for helping him escape.”

“I’m glad we were able to find you,” Hermione chimed in. “We didn't exactly know what you looked like. Although, I sort of guessed it was you when I heard your accent."

“You’re not the first one who mentioned that.”

“Your uniform,” Ron pointed out my black robes. “You haven't been sorted into your house yet?”

“Not yet.” I noticed their red and gold ties. “Gryffindor?”

“Yup,” Ron grinned proudly. “Who knows? You might be sorted there too! Your father was a Gryffindor, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, he was,” I mumbled, but it only made me grow more nervous.

We got to know each other a little more before the train came to a stop and it was time to exit the train. The first years were the first to exit, followed by second and third. When it was finally our turn, I stuck by the three of them and followed them out, gathering with the other fourth-year students. 

Outside stood a tall, large man with a large dog that sat beside him. “First years, onto the boats. The rest of you lot, onto the carriages you go. Hurry along now.” 

Hermione told me to stick with them, giving me an encouraging smile which I returned. “I wouldn’t fancy crossing the lake in this weather. Those poor first years. We should probably get onto a carriage before it rains any harder.”

I nodded in agreement and continued to look ahead at the crowd, searching for the familiar platinum blonde hair. Not long after, I spotted him exiting the train with a group of students wearing green ties. 

We locked eyes for a moment before he shifted, glancing at Hermione, Ron, and Harry beside me and turning away. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

“Malfoy. Already spotting the new girl.” I heard Ron mutter beside. “Bad news that one. You should stay away from him.”

Before I could question him, the large man from earlier approached us. “Hagrid!”

“Evening Hermione, Ron, Harry. And who might this be?”

Harry was the one who introduced me. “She’s a new friend of ours from America.”

“From America aye? Well, a friend of Harry’s a friend of mine,” the man cheered. “Rubeus Hagrid, at your service.” 

“Pleasure to meet you Hagrid.” I smiled brightly. 

“I reckon you’re the one Dumbledore’s been waiting on. It’s best you kids start boarding the carriages now before you catch a cold. We’ve got a storm coming,” Hagrid urged. “See yeh at the feast if we don’ drown!"

The four of us sprinted ahead, boarding the next free carriage to the castle. 


	5. Welcome to Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relashio: a jinx that forces a target to release its grip on whatever it’s holding. It works on both living and inanimate targets, so long as it’s holding onto something.

When we finally arrived at Hogwarts, we jumped down from the carriage and I followed the group as they dashed up the steps since it continued to pour. Ron was complaining about the rain when he suddenly yelled out.

“Ah! What the bloody hell?”

A large, red, water-filled balloon had dropped from out of the ceiling onto Ron’s head and exploded. He staggered into Harry, just as a second water balloon dropped — narrowly missing Hermione and I. 

People started freaking out as they avoided the water balloons. “It’s Peeves again,” Harry said as we looked up and saw a little man in a bell-covered hat and orange bow tie, his wide, malicious face contorted with concentration as he aimed again. “He’s a poltergeist.” 

“An annoying one too,” Ron grumbled, now soaked in water. 

“PEEVES!” yelled an angry voice. “Peeves, come down here at ONCE!” 

A teacher came running out into the entrance hall, screaming at the poltergeist. 

“Not doing nothing!” cackled Peeves, flying several water balloons at fifth-year girls, who screamed and dived into the Great Hall. “Already wet, aren’t they? Little squirts! Wheeeeeeeeee!” And he aimed another bomb at a group of seventh years.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the scene because this was certainly something I would never see at my old school. “He’s my spirit animal. This is hilarious.”

“You think that now, but wait until he targets you with another one of his pranks,” Ron growled. “As if I didn’t already get enough of Fred and George’s antics at home. Now I’m drenched in cold water.”

Whatever the teacher had said made Peeves eventually leave, throwing the last of his water bombs at a couple of random students then flying away as he cackled insanely. 

“Well, move along, then!” said the lady sharply to the crowd. “Into the Great Hall, come on!” 

“Excuse me, Professor.” I approached the lady hesitantly. “My name is-”

“Ah yes, Ms. Black. Just the person I was looking for,” she said, catching me by surprise. She looked back at the three standing behind me. “I see you’ve already made some friends.”

“Professor McGonagall! Will she be sorted along with the first years?” Hermione had asked. 

“We will be continuing the sorting ceremony as usual once our first-years arrive,” Professor McGonagall explained. “However, Ms. Black will be sorted privately before then. Would you three mind escorting Ms. Black to the teacher’s table where she will meet with Headmaster Dumbledore for further instructions?” 

“Certainly Professor,” Hermione agreed. 

I followed them into the great dining hall, looking at the ceiling in awe. 

“It’s not real you know. It’s actually bewitched to look like the sky above. I read it in Hogwarts: A History.”

“I read that too, for a bit of light reading. It was really interesting.” Hermione looked at me with a large smile. “I thought so too,” she agreed. 

“Great. Another person to lecture us about reading that bloody book,” Ron mumbled to Harry under his breath.

“And you’d do well to read it too,” Hermione snapped as we approached the teachers’ table where Dumbledore stood awaiting my arrival. 

“Ah, so I see that you’ve already met Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger. Thank you for escorting Ms. Black to me. You may now be seated.” 

“Good luck. You’ll be fine,” Hermione cheered for me.

“Yeah, unless you get Slytherin,” Ron said, earning a hit on the back of his head from Hermione. “Merlin Hermione, I was only joking.” 

Students were filing into the great hall and eyeing me with curiosity as they took their seats. 

“Follow me,” he instructed, grabbing my attention. We made our way towards a door that was located on the left-hand side of the teacher’s table. Once inside, we went down a staircase and entered a trophy room. 

“Now, this shouldn’t take too long,” he said before placing the hat on my head. I was confused at first, but then I felt the hat move and it began to speak. I let out a gasp as I listened to its voice. 

  
  
  


_Oh. Another descendant of the Black family?_

_Strange, very strange this one._

_Yes._

_A rare combination of three very different houses._

_Loyalty and Kindness of a Hufflepuff._

_Yet Ruthless and Cunning like a Slytherin._

_But Brave and Mischievous like her Gryffindor father._

_Now where to place you…_

_Alright then… I see it now..._

_Better be…_

_Hufflepuff!_

  
  


A wave of disappointment rushed through me as I released a sigh of defeat. Dumbledore hummed as he removed the hat from my head, studying my expression.

“Something bothering you?” 

I looked up but couldn’t hide my frown. “I just thought I’d be in Gryffindor, like my dad.”

“Sometimes the path we take may differ from another’s. We may not understand now, for time can only tell why.”

I stood even more confused than I was before, but Dumbledore gave me a small smile as he presented me with a yellow and black tie. 

“In time, you’ll come to find out why you were placed in Hufflepuff, rather than Gryffindor. In fact, your father was the first in his family to be placed in a house other than Slytherin. He wondered the same thing when he was placed into his house. In a way, you two are more alike than you think.”

Having learned that new bit of information, I found a new feeling of comfort and ease. “So what happens now?”

“Now, we head back to the Great hall where you will be first presented to the school and your new housemates. After that, we will welcome our first-year students with their sorting ceremony.”

I walked alongside Dumbledore, putting on my Hufflepuff tie as we went back up the staircase from which we entered. By this point, all the students were sitting at their assigned tables, discussing among one another as they waited for further instruction. 

We made our way to the front, where a large golden podium stood before Dumbledore and all eyes focused on us as he cleared his throat, using his wand as a microphone. 

“Welcome back, students.” He spoke out, immediately holding everyone’s attention and the hall went silent.“Before we begin our sorting ceremony, I would like to introduce our new 4th-year student from America.”

An outburst of whispers and mumbling between the students filled the once silent room at my introduction. I could hear them murmur at the mention of my name and if I have any relation to Sirius Black. Others were whispering about me being from America. I played with the seam of my uniform, feeling my anxiety rise. 

“Silence!” Dumbledore’s voice roared through the hall and the whispers died down again. My eyes found Hermoine’s within the crowd and she motioned two thumbs up which made me feel less anxious. 

“As you may have noticed, Ms. Black has been sorted into Hufflepuff. I want you to all welcome our new student with open arms.” He then looked to a student who stood from the table ahead of me, whom I immediately recognized.

“Mr. Diggory, would you mind showing Ms. Black here to a seat at your table.”

“Not at all, sir.” 

He joined me at the podium and reached out his hand, which I took. He escorted me back to an empty spot at the table and he sat beside me. 

“Well it’s nice to finally have a name,” Cedric said grinning. 

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You caught me.”

Shortly after sitting down, Professor McGonagall entered the hall with a trail of first-years following behind her for the sorting ceremony. I felt all the eyes that were directed on me, shift to the younger students who were now walking down the hallway.

“So, your relation to Sirius Black?” Cedric whispered while the students shuffled inside. 

“My father.” I answered honestly and softly, aware of the other Hufflepuff’s trying to listen in on our conversation. 

“So the rumors are true,” he looked shocked. “I- well you know-he’s still-”

“I know what you’re thinking, and I get it. The mysterious daughter of the murderous Sirius Black is attending Hogwarts. Everyone should watch out.” I said in a sarcastic, mocking tone.

The sorting hat began singing and almost everyone’s attention was towards the front, however, Cedric kept his focus on me. 

“I’m not---” I stopped, taking a deep breath. “Someone else’s mistakes are not my own. I really don’t want to be tied to that.”

“I’m sorry,” Cedric quickly apologized. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“It’s fine,” I shrugged off as first-years began to be sorted into their houses. “I would be curious too with such a scandal like that in my school. I don’t blame you.”

“Still, I should have been more considerate. I get why you didn’t want to tell me who you were at the ice cream shop now.” Cedric looked embarrassed but I reassured him that it was okay. 

“People were going to find out sooner or later. I’ve already come to terms with that.”

  
  
  


The sorting ceremony did not take too long, and the empty spaces at the front of each table were now filled with first-years. Dumbledore spoke again and the feast began. As if out of mid-air, all the food appeared on the table, and students around us began to fill their plates. 

“So, you really are the daughter of the psycho Sirius Black then?” Said the blonde boy across the table, filling his plate with food. 

“Bite your tongue, Smith,” Cedric warned with a glare. 

“Or what? You’re going to give me detention for asking questions?” The said boy smirked almost defiantly. “Besides, it’d be nice to know more about our new housemate.”

“Ignore him,” a blonde girl sitting next to me offered me some butter roll, which I happily took. “Zacharias was never one for manners.”

“Whatever,” Zacharias scoffed. “I’m just stating what everyone’s thinking. Your dad’s a murderer. Some say he was the death eater who conjured the mark at Quidditch Cup. Who knows? You could be just like him.” 

“Maybe I am,” I responded angrily. “Wanna find out?”

He glared at me, but I welcomed the challenge. “You better watch yourself, Black. We don’t need someone with your family reputation ruining our house name.”

“I think you’re doing it just fine on your own, Smith.” I rebuttal, catching him by surprise. He muttered something to himself before turning away and conversing to his friend on his side. 

Cedric shook his head but the smile displayed on his face told me it wasn’t disapproving. We chatted more about ourselves and I learned from the girl next to me, Hannah Abbott, was a fourth-year like me. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Meanwhile, at the Gryffindor table, the Golden Trio were talking to Nearly Headless Nick about the chaos that had happened previously in the kitchen due to Peeves. 

“Yeah, we thought Peeves seemed hacked off about something,” said Ron darkly, looking at Harry and Hermione. “Still can’t believe she thought Peeves was hilarious. I’m still soaking wet from that water bomb.”

“Someone, other than us, found Peeves amusing?” Fred chimed in, who had been eavesdropping into the conversation. “Who?”

“Black.”

“You mean the new girl that just got sorted into Hufflepuff?” George questioned. 

“Yeah,” Ron pointed towards the table where I was seated. “We met her on the train. Peeves was throwing it at other students running onto the grounds. She couldn’t stop laughing. She thought he was great.”

“Sounds like our kind of girl,” Fred smiled as he watched me. “Care to introduce us?”

“Absolutely not!” Hermione argued, slamming down her utensils. “She’s our new friend and I will not have her getting into trouble with you two influencing her.”

“I don’t think she needs our influences at all,” George pointed. “She seems to be doing just fine on her own.”

All of them turned to see what George was referring to. At that moment, I had taken my wand out and held it under the table, directing it at Zacharias who was lifting his juice in the air, cheering over something his friend had said.

  
  
  
  
  


“Relashio,” I said under my breath, causing Zacharias to suddenly release his drink and spill all over himself. 

“What the heck!” He shouted, earning laughs from others around the table. 

I retracted my wand, back inside my robe, locking eyes momentarily with Harry and Ron who were also laughing after watching the scene. Hermione, however, frowned slightly before saying something to a ginger-haired boy who was smiling at me.

I immediately looked away and continued eating, listening to Hannah and Cedric tease Zacharias for being clumsy. 

  
  
  
  
  


“You got lucky that time,” Hermione insisted. “Besides, Zacharias probably said something rude to her as he does to everyone.”

“Yeah, but she’s the only one who did something about it. Jinxing him like that on her first day,” George said as he munched on his meal. “Wicked cool.”

“Still,” Hermione continued. “I doubt you’ll be seeing much of each other. She’s in Hufflepuff _and_ she’s a fourth year.”

“We have our ways, Granger,” Fred responded, still smiling as he watched me from afar. “Besides, if she’s a friend of you three, she’ll be a friend of ours soon enough.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


Dinner continued and when we were finished, Dumbledore made a few announcements. He talked about the Inter-house Quidditch Cup being canceled yet and all the students whined in protest. 

A girl I recognized from the ice cream shop voiced her disappointment after buying a new broom, wishing she had been told sooner.

We were then interrupted by our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who entered the Great Hall at that time. We looked scary and beaten up, but I tried not to stare too long since his appearance made me shiver. 

Soon after being introduced as Professor Moody, Dumbledore mentioned something called the Triwizard Tournament, at which the ginger-haired boy who had been smiling at me earlier shouted out, “You’re JOKING!”

Nearly everyone laughed and we locked eyes again. I was still giggling when Dumbledore spoke. “I am _not_ joking, Mr. Weasley.” 

_Weasley?_ I thought to myself. _He must be Ron’s older brother, as if the hair wasn’t a giveaway._

I then noticed his twin sitting next to him, still laughing with his housemates. They were both handsome, but I was somewhat more drawn towards one rather than the other.

Our headmaster went on explaining everything and Cedric looked rather excited. The new rule was that you had to be 19 to enter, which is the same age to use magic outside of Hogwarts. 

When he was finished, he dismissed the first-year students so that they may be escorted by the prefects to their common rooms and become acquainted with their surroundings before being joined by the upperclassman.

Everyone else was instructed to hang around for a while before they were allowed to return to their dorms. Cedric nudged me. “Since you’re new, you’re free to join me in escorting the first years for the castle and common room tour. That way you can get familiar too.”

“Sounds great!” I quickly agreed. 

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


I walked alongside Cedric at the back of the group while the other prefect, Penny Haywood, led us down the corridor and flight of stairs. 

Once we reached, what seemed to be, the last floor, we entered a corridor that was decorated with different food-related paintings. Although we were in the basement, everything felt warm and bright. 

Cedric pointed out the portrait of pears that were displayed in the middle of the corridor. Penny tickled the pears and we could hear giggles from the portrait. The first-years and I watched in awe as it swung open, revealing a passageway inside. 

When we entered the portrait, we were welcomed with a strong aroma of freshly baked cookies. 

“The common room is entered from the same corridor as the Hogwarts kitchens.” Cedric explained to the group as we passed the kitchens.

A group of elves greeted us with the cookies we had smelt when we entered and we happily accepted them. I noticed an elf who stood out from the group since he was more, oddly, dressed up compared to the others. 

He flashed a bright smile as I took the cookie he was handing me. “I love your clothes by the way.”

“Thank you, miss! Dobby is very happy with his clothes indeed.”

“Well, you should be,” I nodded. “You look very handsome.”

“You’re too kind, miss.” But the house-elf Dobby seemed very pleased with the compliment. The others however rolled their eyes at him. 

“We should keep following,” Cedric urged as he pulled me along. I waved goodbye to the house elves and followed the group to a little nook on the right-hand side of the kitchen that was blocked by a stack of barrels. 

I noticed there were many barrels around us, but these were the only ones stacked upon one another; two at the top, three in the middle, and three on the bottom. It sat in the middle of an arched doorway. 

I watched as the other female prefect withdrew her wand. “To enter, you must tap your wand on the middle barrel in the middle row to the rhythm of ‘Helga Hufflepuff.’” As Penny spoke, she tapped her wand against the barrel with every syllable and the door swung open.

We followed her into a small passageway that opened up into a large, brightly lit room. “This is our Hufflepuff common room.”

  
  
  


The common room was large, round, and had an earthy feel to it since it was decorated with many different plants. Circular windows decorated high on the walls as the moonlight shined through from above. There are carvings of badgers on the walls, along with vines. There are lots of yellow hangings and overstuffed sofas and armchairs draped in yellow and black that looked very soft and comfortable. 

A fireplace was displayed straight across from the door we entered, above it was Helga Hufflepuff’s portrait. There are two doors on either side of us. The right led to the girl’s dormitories and the left led to the boy’s. 

  
  
  
  


“You can do as you please in here, however, we do have rules and announcements placed beside the fireplace which you can refer to daily,” said Penny. 

“Tomorrow morning, at breakfast, you will receive your schedules from our head of the house, Professor Sprout,” Cedric chimed in. “You are to be in the dining hall, no later than 8 am. Breakfast begins at 6 am for those who are early risers.”

They all nodded in acknowledgment. The first-years were assigned to their dormitories, then excused to enjoy the area. Not long after, the rest of Hufflepuff entered and the room began to fill. 

“Hey, Black. Professor Sprout said you’re dorming with us,” Hannah Abbott stated as she entered the common room, followed by a group of other girls. “We can show you to our dorm. She said everything should be ready for you.”

“Great! Lead the way,” I ushered. They walked toward the girl’s dormitory but before I could follow, Cedric stopped me.

“Wait. Before you go,” Cedric began, his ears turning pink. “I was wondering if you wanted to walk with me to breakfast tomorrow?”

“Sure. What time should I meet you?”

“How does 7 am sound? I’ll wait for you here in the common room.” 

“Sounds like a plan. See you tomorrow Ced,” I waved as I joined my roommates. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


We entered through the cellar door that led into an underground tunnel, illuminated by warm copper lamps that were fairly bright enough to light the tunnel perfectly. 

“Dorms are on the right, bathrooms are on the left. The dorm room assignments work front to back by our school year.” Hannah explained.

“Since we are in our fourth year, our dorm room is the fourth door on the right,” said the ginger-haired girl. “I’m Susan Bones by the way.”

We entered our dorm room that was acquainted with five-poster beds, covered in yellow and black patchwork quilts and decorated with more plants that hung from the ceiling and walls. 

“Hogwarts has an enchantment that accommodates our needs,” Susan explained. “So that must be why we now have five beds instead of four like last year.”

All our belongings had been brought up from the train for us and they explained that my owl had been taken to the owlery with the rest of the lot. 

I met the other girls that I will be sharing the dorms with as well. Iris Grey was the only pureblood in our group who plays on the Hufflepuff quidditch team with Cedric.

Emma Jenkins, to my surprise, is muggle-born. She didn’t have any witch or wizard in her family. Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott are both half-bloods, like me. 

“They’re both potheads too,” Iris laughed. 

“Hey! How can you not experiment when we are surrounded by all these plants?” Hannah retorted with a smile. “Half, if not more, of the Hufflepuff students are potheads.”

“And we’re proud!” Susan cheered. 

“So, Cedric Diggory.” Iris nudged me. “He must have taken a liking to you since he invited you to have breakfast with him.”

“What do you mean?” I asked in confusion. “Is that weird?”

“She doesn’t know who he is, Iris,” Hannah rolled her eyes. “She’s new here.”

“Am I missing something?”

“Cedric Diggory is one of the most desired bachelors in the school. Not only is he Hufflepuff’s quidditch captain and seeker, but he’s also handsome, tall, funny, charming… You see what I’m getting at?” Iris beamed. “Every girl wants him.”

“I had no idea,” I gaped. “We’re just friends though.”

“Just friends or not,” Susan continued. “Cedric has never asked a girl to breakfast, unless it involves working on homework. He’s almost always with his friends or alone. So he’s obviously found an interest in you.”

“I don’t know if I’m interested in him though,” I admitted. “But there was this other guy that I saw at dinner. Red hair, has a twin, Gryffindor.”

“Oh, you mean Fred? Or George?” Hannah grinned. “Either one, they’re both handsome. But those two are really popular. You’re lucky if you get one of them to notice you. They’re usually never apart.”

“She really knows how to choose her men, huh?” Iris giggled. “First Cedric. Now the Weasley twins. I like your taste, sis.”

“But don’t be surprised when rumors start spreading. It’s not every day we see Cedric Diggory with another girl,” Susan Bones added. 

“Speaking of rumors,” Iris leaned closer. “Are you actually the daughter of the Sirius Black?”

“You mean the one who escaped Azkaban?” Emma gasped. 

I sighed, knowing this was going to come sooner or later. However, seeing that I will be dorming with these girls, I wanted to clear my name and assure them they have nothing to worry about with me. 

“Yes, I’m his daughter. No, I don’t know where he is. He left my mom and I when I was young and I haven’t seen him ever since. My mom raised me in America and that’s where I’ve always been.” I explained in full detail. “I just want to be my own person.”

“I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to--”

“It’s okay,” I assured Iris who bit her lip. “I honestly don’t care what rumors go around or what people say. But since we are rooming together, I feel you all should know so we can be comfortable.”

“I appreciate that.” Susan smiled. “Thank you for sharing that with us.”

We all talked and I got to know them a little more. After a long night of conversation, we finally got ourselves situated into our beds.

“Someone please wake me up in the morning,” I groaned. “I’m afraid I might sleep through tomorrow thinking this is all one big dream.”

“I got you. Don’t worry,” Hannah assured. “I’m an early riser. I’ll make sure you’re awake in time for your breakfast date with Cedric.”

“It’s not a date,” I said but the girls were already giggling to themselves. 


	6. First Day of School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bubotubers: a magical plant that resembles a large, thick, black slug.
> 
> Blast Ended Skrewts: magical hybrid beast, a cross-breed of Manticores and Fire crabs

Hannah woke me up at 6:30 am and showed me our bathroom, located right across our dorm room, and lent me some extra house robes and ties that were donated from previous Hufflepuff students. 

“You can use these until you get your own,” she said after handing me a few. “You can fill out an order form through owl mail. I can show you how later if you need any help.”

I thanked her before she left the dorm, saying she was meeting up with some friends from the other houses. By the time I had finished getting ready, it was a few minutes past 7 am. 

I exited through the cellar door and was greeted by the warmth from the windows that broadcasted sunlight throughout the common room. Droplets of water from last night’s storm were running down the glass. 

Cedric was sitting on one of the sofa’s armrests, laughing with a group of boys who waved goodbye to him and exited through the main door. He glanced back and stood up as soon as he saw me. “For a minute there, I thought you were standing me up”

“Sorry,” I apologized. “Hannah helped me find some dress robes and ties since I don’t have my own yet.”

“I’m only teasing,” Cedric laughed. “Shall we?”

“Yes! I’m starving!” I pushed him towards the door with a smile.

We passed the kitchens that echoed from the sound of pans and pots banging together. The elves seemed very busy this morning since none were out to greet us. Once inside the dining hall, we split off between the table so that we would be sitting across from each other and found an empty space near the entrance. 

I sat in awe as the breakfast trays floated slowly down the table, each carrying milk, orange juice, and a variety of cereal options. On the tables were a full English styled breakfast, including trays of eggs, bacon, omelets, and toasts. 

“Is it like this every day?” I gasped, filling my plate with food. 

“Sometimes it changes, but usually it’s the same.” Using his wand, Cedric tapped on the tray that came floating across us. It came to a halt and lowered. 

We filled our bowls with cereal before the tray rose again, continuing to float down the table. 

“That’s cool!” I watched excitedly as my juice refilled itself. 

“So what’s it like where you’re from? They have a wizarding school in America right?” 

“Yeah, Ilvermorny. It’s far from home though, so I never attended. There are smaller schools spread throughout the states that teach privately." I explained to him my schooling experience and how it was tiring to juggle between the two schools.

“Why go to muggle school if you’re a witch then? Why not just stick to learning magic?” 

“I was raised by a muggle mom and in America, we aren’t allowed to use magic outside of school until we’re 18.” I pointed out. “She insisted that I attend both schools so I can weigh out my options for the future, whether it be a muggle job or magic related.”

“I see.” Cedric stayed silent for a moment, thinking to himself as he bit his toast. “So breakfast never floated towards you.” 

“No.” I laughed “No food ever floated to me.” 

We spent breakfast talking and getting to know each other more. Reminded of our class schedules, Cedric stood up and walked over to our head of house, Professor Sprout. After saying something, she smiled in my direction and made her way towards me.

“Welcome to Hufflepuff, Ms. Black. Are you enjoying it so far?” She asked with a kind smile.

“Oh yeah! Especially the food,” I said with a wide grin, holding a piece of bacon in my hand.

“Well, it’s good our house is located near the kitchens then.” She then handed me a piece of paper. “This is your schedule. It looks like you have Herbology with me, first thing. I look forward to having you in my class.” 

“I look forward to being in your class, Professor,” I responded cheerfully and examined my schedule. Cedric had received his as well and returned to his seat. “I take it that we won’t have any classes together since we’re different years.”

“Unfortunately,” he responded, sporting a small pout. “We can still see each other during free periods and meal services though. That is if you’re still interested in being with me after you made your own set of friends.”

“I should be saying that to you. I heard you’re popular.” 

He smiled but ignored the topic as we continued to eat. Looking around the dining hall, I noticed that many people from different houses were eating together at different tables. 

“Are we allowed to eat with other houses?”

“Breakfast and lunch you can intermingle with other houses since class schedules are different and people eat at their own accord,” Cedric said as compared over our schedules. “Dinner is the only time that you have to eat with your house and can’t sit with another.”

“So is it okay if I sit with my friends?” I asked, pointing towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione who were seated at the Gryffindor table. “Maybe we share the same classes!”

“Wow, Black. Ditching me already?” Cedric said teasingly with a smirk. 

“Yes, Mr. Diggory,” I said, snatching my schedule from his hand. “Seeing as though you’re two years above me, your schedule is useless.”

“I’m offended.” He mocked. “If you must know, we similar free periods.”

“Really?” I gasped, checking his paper. “That’s great. We can hang out!”

“Who said I want to hang out with you? Like you said, I’m really popular,” Cedric answered, but there was no rudeness behind the statement. Just playful banter.

“Alright then, I’ll see you at dinner!” I said, getting up and dashing towards the Gryffindor table. 

“I was joking!” He shouted behind me, but I was already jogging to the Gryffindor table. 

The hall was filled with loud chatter as students talked amongst each other about their schedules. As I walked over, Hermione was the first to notice me. 

“Hey!” She greeted me. “I see you’ve received your schedule as well? Let me have a look.”

Hermione reached for my schedule which I gladly handed over and patted the empty space beside her. I smiled at Harry and Ron who asked me how I was adjusting to the boarding life.

“It’s different, I won’t lie,” I admitted. “But the food is the real winner for me. As long as the food’s good, I’m good.”

“I like her already,” Ron smiled at Harry, mouth and plate full of food. 

“It looks like we all have the same schedule,” Hermione chimed. “Well, almost. You all have double divination this afternoon while I have ancient runes.”

Before our conversation could continue, there was a sudden rustling noise and owls flew into the great hall from all directions. They were all carrying mail and delivering it to the owners. I once again watched in awe. 

“How do the owls know who to deliver it to?” I asked no one in general. 

“They’re not ordinary owls,” Hermione explained. “They have magic qualities in them that allow them to deliver accordingly.” 

“And I assume you read that somewhere, did you?” Ron questioned, looking slightly annoyed.

“Yes. I did, for your information,” Hermione responded with her chin held high. “It wouldn’t hurt you to pick up a book Ronald.”

Harry looked lost in thought as the owls were now filing out of the dining hall. Something was evidently troubling him but Hermione and Ron failed to notice as they continued to bicker at the table. 

When we got up to leave for our first lesson, I walked alongside Harry. “Are you okay? It looks like something is bothering you.” 

“Have you heard from your dad recently?” He suddenly questioned.

“No. The last time I spoke to him, we were somewhere in the British Virgin Islands. Dumbledore tampered with my portkey so I could meet him, but that was weeks ago. Why?” 

“How did he look?” Harry asked, concerned. “Was he… safe?”

“Yeah, he looked happy. Free, even. But lonely. Definitely lonely.” I frowned.

“Why couldn’t he come live with you and your mom?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The ministry is watching my every move. He’d be caught if he was anywhere near us.”

“Right. Sorry. I forgot about that.” 

“It’s okay, Harry. But just know, I’m here for you.” I comforted him. “You did rescue my dad so you’re kind of a big deal to me.” I laughed and was happy to see him smile. 

When we got down to the greenhouses, I saw my roommates gathered with their own group of friends and I realized how happy I was to be included with Harry, Hermione, and Ron. 

Hermione ushered me to stand with them as Professor Sprout entered, holding the ugliest plants I’ve ever seen in my life. From the look of my classmates’ faces, they thought the same. 

**Bubotubers**.

She instructed us that we were to collect the pus since it’s extremely valuable. Harry and Ron partnered together while Hermione and I paired up. She was very grateful to have me as a partner since she couldn’t stand the feeling of squeezing it. 

Throughout the lesson, we competed with the boys to see who could collect the most. In the end, Hermione and I had the most pints filled, compared to Ron and Harry. 

“Better luck next time, boys,” I smirked. 

“We would have won if Ron hadn’t kept gagging,” Harry argued, shoving off his dragon-hide gloves.

“Excuses,” Hermione chimed.

“Coming from the girl who wouldn’t even touch it.” Ron glared. 

Our debates continued as we made our way down the sloping hill towards Hagrid’s hut for our next class, Care for Magical Creatures.

  
  


I saw Hagrid holding a hand on the collar of an enormous black dog. “His name is Fang,” Hagrid said as he saw my excitement. “He may be big, but he’s a little softie. Hope yer don’t mind bein’ licked and all.”

“I don’t mind one bit!” I went straight for the dog, allowing the dog to lick me all over my face. “I love dogs! I wish Hogwarts allowed them as pets.”

“Just waiting for the others to show. Don’t want anyone to miss the **Blast Ended Skrewts**.”

“The what?” The four of us exclaimed.

Hagrid pointed to a large crate. A Gryffindor, named Lavender Brown, shouted in disgust. The things inside did look rather disgusting. Like shell-less lobsters but completely deformed and headless. 

When the class arrived, Hagrid instructed that we will be raising those things. 

“And _why_ would we do that?” said a voice in a cold tone. I turned to see Draco Malfoy coming down the hill, followed by two other Slytherin boys that I had seen on the train. 

Hagrid looked confused, to which I reworded his question. “What exactly is the point of these things Hagrid? What do they do?”

Draco looked at me wordlessly as Hagrid seemed to think hard on the question before answering, “Well that’s what we’re going to learn. Today, we’re just feeding them, finding out what they like, and then we can see what they do.”

Seamus, another Gryffindor, groaned. “First the pus, now this.”

Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked as if they were trying very hard to be positive throughout the lesson. However, there were many shouts of complaints and concerns from our classmates as we discovered more about these creatures. 

Some of our classmates were being burnt, others were stung and bitten. I, unfortunately, fell victim to a burn after being blasted by the end of one of them. 

“I can’t help but wonder why we’re trying to feed these things. They haven’t got a mouth,” Harry said quietly, but I was already fed up once the thing stung my arm with its tail.

“Hagrid, who would want pets that burn, bite, or sting you?” I asked in an exasperated tone. 

Draco looked at me proudly, nodding. “I couldn’t agree more, Black. She’s right. What’s the point in keeping these things alive? They could grow bigger and attack us!”

“Just because they’re not very pretty, it doesn’t mean they’re not useful,” Hermione snapped at him. “Dragon blood’s amazingly magical, but you wouldn’t want a dragon for a pet, would you?” 

I heard Malfoy groan in annoyance, but no one else said a thing. The lesson continued and some students, including myself, left with a few more burnt marks. 

Nothing as bad as Neville whose hair caught on fire after being blasted by one of them. Thankfully Hermione put it out with an Aguamenti spell. 

“At least they’re small,” said Ron as we made our way back towards the castle for lunch. 

“Yeah, for now!” Hermione groaned, visibly bothered. “Wait until we find out what they eat! Then they’re going to be about six feet long! She was right. Who in their right minds would want them as pets? We should stomp on them before they grow too big and attack us.” 

“What about that thing you said about dragons?” I looked at her in question. 

She smiled sheepishly at me. “Sorry for snapping. It wasn’t directed towards you. I only said that because I wanted Malfoy to keep his mouth shut. After last year’s incident, I’d rather not give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“What happened last year?”

As we sat down for lunch, with me joining them at the Gryffindor table, they explained the incident with Draco and Buckbeak. 

Once Ron and Harry had finished telling me the story, we noticed Hermione had scoffed down her food so fast, it looked as if she were going to get indigestion. 

“We have loads of time before our next class. Why are you eating so fast?” Ron said. “Is this the new stand on elf rights? Making yourself puke instead?” 

“Elf what?” I asked.

“We’ll fill you in later,” Harry whispered to me.

“I’m trying to get to the library.” Hermione retorted, shoveling more food into her mouth. 

“It’s the first day Hermione! We haven’t got any homework yet!” Ron exclaimed. She ignored him and continued to shovel down her food before sprinting away. 

“What was that elf thing you were mentioning?” I asked, returning my attention to the boys.

“She found out about elves working in the kitchen and has a whole thing against elf slavery.”

By the time Ron and Harry had finished explaining to me the elf situation, I think I had a pretty good idea on why Hermione was running to the library.   
  


After lunch, Harry, Ron, and I set off to the North Tower where our Divination class was held. “Just a warning,” Ron said as we headed up the spiraling staircase. “She’s a bit loony.”

“She kept telling me I was going to die last year,” Harry added. “Every class she’d remind me of my nearing death.” 

I held back a snort as we climbed the stepladder that led to a circular trap-door in the ceiling. I was hit with a strong smell of perfume, finding a bizarre looking lady with huge glasses that were way too big for her face.

The three of us found a table in the corner of the room and I watched as our Professor looked mournfully at Harry who desperately looked like he wished to be invisible. 

_“You are preoccupied, my dear,” she said mournfully to Harry. “My inner eye sees past your brave face to the troubled soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas . . . most difficult . . . I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass . . . and perhaps sooner than you think. . . .”_

She then looked at me in horror before scurrying away to her desk.

“What was that about? Did you see the way she ran when she looked at me?” I asked the two while they laughed aloud. 

“ _The thing I dread will come to pass_ ,” Harry repeated in a mocking tone. “Hermione was right. Professor Trelawney is nothing but a fraud.” 

An hour into class, we were given a complicated chart and instructed to fill it out with the positions of which the planets were on our birthdays. The three of us were just as confused as the rest of class who were busily figuring out how to read the chart. 

Harry somehow ended up with two Neptunes on his parchment, which Ron joked about it meaning that a midget with glasses was being born. Lavender exclaimed about having a unique planet on her night, only to reveal it was Uranus.

“Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?” said Ron, earning an uproar of laughter from the class. 

However, Professor Trelawney was clearly unamused. At the end of the period, we were assigned a load of homework that would surely take all week to complete.

Ron was complaining about Trelawney being a miserable old bat when Hermione caught up with us, bragging about not receiving any homework from her Arithmancy teacher. 

Once we reached the Great Hall, I separated from the group to join Cedric at the Hufflepuff table for dinner.

“How were your classes?” He asked once I was seated. 

“Let’s see. I squeezed pus out of some very ugly looking plants in herbology, got burnt by blast ended skrewts in cares for magical creatures, then assigned a very complicated homework from divination that is sure to take all week. I guess you could say it was rather eventful,” I said, stabbing at my meatloaf.

Cedric’s face contorted into something of both shock and horror. “Well, that’s certainly alarming. I can help if you’d like, with your divination homework I mean.”

“Good luck. I barely understood anything myself.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I just had my Defence Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Moody,” Cedric informed, catching my attention. “And it’s an exciting lesson. You’re in for a treat.”

I checked my schedule and groaned when I saw that I didn’t have him until Thursday afternoon. 

“It’ll be worth the wait,” Cedric reassured. “Promise. He _knows_ his stuff.”


	7. Professor Mad-Eye Moody

The next few days went by slowly, but the constant stares and indiscreet whispers continued as word of my relation to Sirius Black spread like wildfire throughout the school, no thanks to Zacharias Smith, but I got used to ignoring it as time went on.

My friendship with Ron, Harry, and Hermione became stronger with each passing day. 

“Honestly, you’re a great addition to the group,” Hermione had said after our lesson in charms class. “It was lonely being the only girl. There’s just some things I can’t talk to Ron and Harry about.”

She wasn’t the only one who was happy. Harry and Ron had expressed their agreement, even stating that Hermione’s mood had lightened since my arrival.

Snape didn’t take too kindly towards me in Potions after I called him Professor Snake for bullying Neville, resulting in Hufflepuff losing 20 house points. Neville had accidentally melted six cauldrons and was forced to stay after class in detention with me, tasked with disemboweling a barrel full of horned toads. 

The only thing that worsened was my developing crush on Ron’s brother, Fred Weasley. He and his brother would occasionally sit with us and Fred was always the one to spark up a conversation with me. 

“Hermione still upset about those elves working in the kitchen?” Fred said, taking a seat in his usual spot next to me as we gathered at the Gryffindor table for lunch.

“I don’t know what’s been going on with her,” Ron grumbled. “Everyday, she scarfs down her food and runs to the library. I mean, it’s not like the books are going anywhere.”

I stifled a laugh and Fred turned to face me, telling me about his latest idea on a prank to steal some of the blast ended skrewts and release them into Filch’s office. 

“I hate those things,” I groaned in remembrance. “I still have burn marks from Monday’s lesson.”

“Couldn’t be worse than the detention you had with Snape. Neville still has frog guts under his nails,” Ron added. “Did you know she called him Professor Snake? And to his face!”

“Blimey, Black. I’m impressed,” Fred praised. “There’s not a lot of people that I know who stand up to Snape. You’re braver than I thought.” 

“Don’t forget that jinx she pulled on that Smith kid during the welcoming feast,” George chimed in. “Relashio, was it?

“You saw that?”

“There’s no getting past us,” Fred smirked. “We can spot mischief miles away.”

Fred continued to compliment me and it took all my energy to keep from turning into a blushing mess.

  
  
  
  
  
  


The long awaited day finally came. I took a seat beside Hermione, who looked just as excited as I was. Fourth year students were scattered around the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, gossiping about the latest information they had overheard from the upperclassman. 

“I heard it’s supposed to be really intense,” Padma Patil, a Ravenclaw, was telling her friend. “I wonder what it is.”

“Everyone who had this class already has been extra secretive about this lesson,” I overheard Lavender Brown, a Gryffindor, say to her seatmate. 

We were all shuffling through our copies of ‘The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection’ while we waited for Professor Moody to show. We suddenly could hear him clunking down the corridor and jumped when he slammed the doors shut behind him as he entered the classroom. 

“You can put away those books. We won’t be needing them,” he said in a hoarse voice. Everyone quickly shuffled their books away into their bags and our attention remained on Professor Moody as began the lecture. 

The three unforgivable curses. That was today’s lesson. 

“I thought it was illegal to perform these curses,” I said with my hand raised. Professor Moody’s magical eye shot towards me, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Ms. Black, is it?” 

I nodded hesitantly. 

“Right you are,” he said, returning his attention to the class. “The Ministry of Magic wants me to teach you countercurses. Nothing more until your sixth year. I say, to hell with that! How do you defend yourself against something you’ve never seen? Dumbledore agrees. A wizard who uses these illegal curses isn't going to be polite about it, so you need to be alert!” 

He slammed the ground with his staff, causing all of us to jump again. He snickered at our reaction.

“Now, can anyone name one of them?”  
  


Ron gave the first one, **_The_** **_Imperius Curse._**

Professor Moody had three spiders in a glass jar. He grabbed one of them and shouted _“Imperio!”_

The spider was now the victim to his commands. He made the spider dance and perform tricks, earning laughter from the class.

It almost instantly died down when he growled, “Would you still think it’s funny if someone did this to you? Total control.It wouldn’t be so funny if I made you jump out the window now, would it?”

He discarded the spider back into the jar as he ordered us to take notes. “Back when You-Know-Who was in power, wizards and witches fell victim to the Imperius Curse, leaving the Ministry to file out who was being controlled and who were acting at their own free will.”

Hermione shot her hand in the air. “Yes, Ms. Granger?”

“The curse can be fought, can’t it?”

“Yes. I will be teaching you how, but not everyone will succeed.” He answered. “It’s better to avoid being hit. Only the strongest minds can overcome such a curse. Now, who can tell me another?”

  
  
  


Neville gave the second one. **_The Cruciatus Curse._ **

The curse tortures its victims relentlessly. 

We all watched in horror as he used the curse on the second spider which twitched and jerked around in pain. Hermione shouted for the Professor to stop as Neville was now looking petrified at what we witnessed. There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the air.

  
  
  
  


Hermione was the last to give the final curse. Avada Kedavra, **_the Killing Curse_ **. 

He pulled out the last, remaining spider and placed it on his desk. Without hesitation, he cast the killing curse and a green flash sparked from his wand, killing the spider instantly.

The class was filled with stifled cries and murmurs. We continued the lesson in silence, discussing the curses and their effects. I was surprised that Hermione had not used up her entire journal over the amount of notes she had written down.

It was only after we were dismissed and filing out of class that the hall was filled with chatter and discussions about what we had experienced. People left awestruck. 

“That was one of the most disturbing lessons I’ve ever experienced,” I voiced out. Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement. “Neville didn’t seem too good. I hope he’s okay.”

“Look,” Hermione pointed ahead. We spotted Neville standing alone in the hallway, looking as terrified as he did in the classes during the demonstrations. We approached him cautiously. 

“Hey, Neville. Are you alright?” Hermione asked, startling him from his thoughts. He insisted that he was okay, but his voice was shaky and telling us otherwise. 

Before we could ask more, Professor Moody came marching down and escorted Neville away for a private conversation. We couldn’t help but watch helplessly as Neville and Moody turned the corner towards his office. 

  
  
  
  
  


During dinner, I hit Cedric with my book, angry that he hadn't given me a heads up about the lesson on the unforgivable curses. 

“I thought it was interesting,” he shrugged. “It would be nice to know how to defend ourselves if we were ever to be attacked.”

“I didn’t like it at all,” I muttered, pushing my plate away. “I’ve lost my appetite.” 

All I could think about was the torture and pain that those curses impact on people. My roommates, Emma and Iris, agreed, finding it disturbing. Hannah and Susan, however, thought that they had watched a spectacular show. 

“I mean, it was fascinating, wasn’t it?” Hannah Abbott commented. “Seeing all those curses in person.” 

“Exactly. I don’t get why you’re so bothered by it, Black,” Zacharias interjected, snickering. He was seated a few seats across from me and must have been eavesdropping in our conversation. “Didn’t your dad do worse?”

“Smith. Don’t.” Cedric warned, but Zacharias wasn’t listening.

“I think I remember reading it somewhere,” Zacharias continued, staring at me with a glint in his eyes. I glared at him in anger, clenching my fist around my wand. “Yes, in the daily prophet I believe.”

“I said, shut it!” Cedric growled, slamming his fist on the table. The sound caught the attention from students around us. Zach’s friends were now telling him to stop, but he wasn’t budging.

“Oh right, I remember now.” Zach stared into my eyes. “He blew up thirteen muggles.”

Everything happened quickly. I shot up from my seat and punched him square in the face, knocking him backwards. His friends scrambled out of their seats to help him up as he stared at me in horror, wiping the blood from his nose. 

I grabbed my bag and marched out of the Great Hall, grinning ear to ear.


	8. Detention with Fred

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Densaugeo: a spell which causes the victim's teeth to enlarge grotesquely.

I woke up early the next morning and quietly got dressed, careful not to wake my roommates. I grabbed one of my notebooks and a pen that I had brought with me, from the muggle world, and headed off to the Owlery. 

The castle was eerily silent as all the portraits seemed to be in a deep slumber as it was still early in the morning. The sun was just beginning to rise as I found a seat situated at the top of the West Tower, overlooking the lake.

I finished filling out my uniform document as well as a long letter for my mom, updating her on my life at Hogwarts and assuring her that everything was okay. I purposely left out last night’s ordeal because I knew that would only cause her to worry.

Finding my owl, Hershey, was easier than I expected. As soon as I entered the owlery, she came fluttering down, chirping as she nipped the papers in my hand. 

“Ready for your first delivery?” 

She gave an excited hoot and I tied my letter to her foot. “Take this to Tonk’s parents place. They’ll know what to do with the letter. Try not to drop it.”

Once Hershey flew off, I tied my uniform document to one of the school’s owls for delivery to Diagon Alley. With everything sorted, I departed down the owlery stairs until I came into contact with someone who was heading up.

“Oh! Sorry, Harry. I didn’t see you there.” 

“It’s fine,” he replied. “I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you. It’s about your dad.”

We returned to the bench, where I was seated earlier, and Harry handed me the letter that he had received last night. 

  
  
_Harry —_

_I’m flying north immediately. This news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumors that have reached me here. If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore — they’re saying he’s got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he’s reading the signs, even if no one else is._

_Have you met my daughter by now? I wonder if you two are getting along, just as James and I had. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s encountering the same situation as you had experienced in your first year at Hogwarts. I would assume it’s difficult for her. Please keep an eye on her for me._

_Anyways, I’ll be in touch soon. My best to Ron and Hermione. Keep your eyes open, Harry._

_Sirius._

  
  


I looked at the letter, confusion written on my face. “He’s flying back? I don’t get it. What are these signs that he’s talking about?”

Harry fidgeted with his sweater before speaking. “I think it has something to do with my scar,” he replied, but it confused me even more. 

“Your scar?” 

He moved his hair slightly from his forehead, revealing a lightning bolt shaped scar. “I don’t understand. What does your scar have to do with anything?”

“You’ve got to promise not to tell anyone what I’m about to share with you,” Harry said sternly. I promised and he explained everything that happened ─ from how he received the scar to how it burns whenever Voldemort is around. 

“So, back in Defense the Dark Arts class, when we were learning the unforgivable curses… Professor Moody said that someone survived that Killing Curse… it was you?”

Harry nodded and I sat there in silence, trying to process everything he told me. “And Hermione and Ron know about this, right?”

“Yes. And your dad.” 

“Right.” I contemplated on the seriousness of the situation, but also the dangers it would put Sirius in coming back. “So what are you going to do?”

“I’m telling him not to worry. I don’t want to risk him getting caught just because of me.” Harry said as he stood up. “You can read the letter that I’m sending if you’d like. I need to get Hedwig.”

I read the parchment as Harry was busy coaxing his owl to come down from her perch. 

_Dear Sirius,_

_I reckon I just imagined my scar hurting, I was half asleep when I wrote to you last time. There’s no point coming back, everything’s fine here. Don’t worry about me, my head feels completely normal._

_As for your daughter, we’re great friends. She’s been sorted into Hufflepuff and we have the same classes. Although I think she can handle herself very well. She called Snape a snake in class. It was hilarious. She reminds me a lot of you. LIke I said, don’t worry. Everything’s okay._

_Harry_

After successfully persuading Hedwig to come down, I returned Harry his letter after adding a little side note. He laughed aloud as he read it.

_Ps; Hey dad! Your daughter here - Don’t worry about me! I punched a boy in the face. I think I’m good._

“Something tells me Sirius would love to hear that you got into a fight your first week,” Harry approved, rolling up the parchment and tying it to his owl’s foot.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if I have to serve another detention this week. I’m probably the talk of the morning after what happened last night. ”

“I think Fred stole your spotlight,” Harry commented. I shot him a confused look and he eyed me curiously. “Wait, you didn’t hear?” 

“Hear what?”

“Fred had jinxed Zacharias with a _d_ _ensaugeo_ charm. I’m sure he’s still in the hospital wing getting his teeth fixed.” 

“Fred jinxed him? Why?”

“Well, everyone kind of overheard your argument yesterday with Smith and though most people admired the way you handled it, Fred was furious,” Harry informed. “He ran into Zacharias after dinner and jinxed him on the spot.”

“He could have gotten into trouble!” I said in shock.

“He did. Mr. Filch was in the hallway when it happened and caught him,” Harry answered. “Anyways, don’t worry about Fred. He seemed rather proud of himself back in the common room.”

My admiration for Fred grew and I couldn’t help but feel appreciation since he had stood up for me. Harry and I headed off to join Ron and Hermione for breakfast, but as we approached the Dining Hall, I heard someone call my name.

“I’ll see you later,” Harry said and I nodded in acknowledgement as he left. 

I turned to see Cedric jogging towards me. “I was waiting for you in the common room, but your roommates said that you were missing.”

“Yeah. I just had some things to do this morning,” I replied, taking notice of the slip in his hand. “Is that for me?”

“I tried reasoning with Professor Sprout, but she wasn’t too happy with the situation,” Cedric explained with a frown, handing me the detention slip. “If it makes you feel any better, she’s angier at Zach for saying those things and found your actions understandable, but─”

“Let me guess. Punching him in the face in front of the entire school wasn’t the best idea,” I responded with a giggle.

Cedric smiled. “Yeah. I reckon the next time you punch someone in the face, wait until there are no witnesses around,” he winked, leaving me in laughter. 

We entered the Great Hall together and went our separate ways to join our friends for breakfast. I was approaching the table in time to hear Harry telling Ron and Hermione about the response he sent back to Sirius.

“That was a lie, Harry,” Hermione snapped. “You didn’t imagine your scar hurting and you know it.”

“So what?” Harry argued. “He’s not going back to Azkaban because of me.” 

“Drop it,” said Ron sharply to Hermione as she opened her mouth to argue some more. She then looked at me for assistance as I sat down next to her. “What are your thoughts on this?”

“I’m sorry, but I agree with Harry. It’s too risky. We can’t let my dad get involved.”

“Fine. But if things get worse, Harry, I want you to report it to Dumbledore. He should know.” Hermione countered. “Besides, I have other things to take care of.”

The conversation shifted as she suddenly placed a large box filled with badges onto the table with the letters S.P.E.W. displayed on them. Harry and Ron groaned aloud as I picked up a pin. 

“What’s this?”

“She’s recruiting members to join her stupid club-”

“It’s not stupid Ronald!” Hermione exclaimed. “Elves are being enslaved!”

“When will you understand? They like it!” Ron rebutted. 

“That’s because they don’t know any better!” She looked at me eagerly, explaining her Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare and how she wants to make a stand for elf’s rights. “You’ll join, right?”

Being the good friend that I am, I agreed but I didn’t understand what she was troubled by. The elves I had met in the kitchen were happy to be working. I wasn’t going to hurt her feelings though.

“I knew I could count on you,” she smiled proudly. “I’m appointing you as vice president, with me as president of course. Ron is treasurer and Harry is our secretary.” 

Harry and Ron stuffed their mouths with food to avoid being part of the discussion. Hermione handed me a badge before grabbing the box and walking over to her fellow Gryffindor housemates, giving them the same lecture she gave me. 

“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again,” Ron groaned. “She needs to sort out her priorities.”

“What’s that?” Harry pointed to the paper in my hand. 

“My detention slip,” I answered, reading the information. “Tomorrow morning.”

“Me too,” Fred said, slapping his slip on the table as he and George joined us at the table. “From the looks of it, we’ll be spending it together, Black.” 

“I know you jinxed Zacharias yesterday, but you didn’t have to do that, Fred.” I frowned at him but he was practically beaming. 

“I know I didn’t,” he said. “But I wanted to. No one messes with our friends and gets away with it.”

“Yeah, that’s our job,” George said, teasingly. “I suggested we take a more subtle route but Fred was already casting the jinx before I could finish my sentence.”

“I couldn’t resist,” Fred smirked. “The little git was already in front of me.”

  
  
  
  


For the remainder of the day, Zacharias was absent for lessons since he was still being healed in the hospital wing and was not excused until dinner. He ended up sitting on the opposite end of the table, far away from me, still sporting a black eye.

“Wicked punch, last night, Black,” A friend of Cedric's complimented me. “I can see why Cedric likes you.”

Cedric choked on his drink, earning a roar of laughter from his friends. “Tommy’s only joking,” Cedric said as he shot a glare in his friends direction. 

My roommate Iris nudged me, raising an eyebrow knowingly but I shrugged off the statement. “We’re just friends,” I responded, but our friends didn’t look convinced. 

  
  
  
  


Saturday morning, Cedric and I spent the morning in the common room together as he helped me with my Divination homework. Harry and Ron had given me their finished work, but it was mostly filled with terrible predictions like being stabbed in the back by a friend or getting into a fight.

As we worked on my predictions, faking most of it, Cedric told me about his interest in doing the Triwizard Tournament.

“You’re crazy!” I looked at him in horror. “Did you not hear everything Dumbledore said? It’s dangerous and the death tolls in the past were so high that they shut it down.”

“Yeah, but it must be a lot safer now that it’s back.” Cedric reasoned. “Think about it. There’s no way the school would allow for it to return if the ministry of magic didn’t take time to consider all the consequences. And the prize!”

“Oh yeah. The prize. Like putting a price on your life sounds any better.” 

“Aw, are you scared that I’m going to get hurt?” He teased.

“Of course I’m scared! You’re my friend. I’d hate for anything bad to happen to you.”

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he ruffled my hair and smiled fondly at me before returning to work on my homework. I huffed in annoyance but decided to drop the topic, hoping he will change his mind about it.

“Hey,” Hannah greeted as she came walking into the common room, “Fred’s outside waiting for you.”

I checked the clock to see that it was time to head out. Cedric said he’ll finish the rest. I thanked him before walking out, only to find Fred sitting on a barrel just outside our Hufflepuff entrance, snacking on a pastry. 

“Nicked it from the kitchen,” he said before I could question him. 

“How’d you get in?”

“Tickled the pears of course.” 

“Obviously, but how did you know to-”

“Honestly, it's like you don't even know me. George and I know this castle inside and out,” Fred responded proudly, jumping down from his seat. “I’ll explain on our way to Filch’s office. Shall we?”

  
  
  


When we got there, Mr. Filch handed us a bucket of cleaning supplies and instructed us that we will be assisting Madam Hooch with cleaning and polishing all the training brooms before the first year’s flying lessons on Monday. 

Filch escorted us down to the courtyard where we met with Madam Hooch. She led us to the supply closet where all the brooms were kept. 

“This closet needs organizing and cleaning, as well. I’m having a spider infestation and there’s webs everywhere,” Madam Hooch spoke. “It shouldn’t take long. I expect these to be finished within an hour,” she said before departing with Mr. Filch.

She wasn’t kidding. There were hundreds of webs and many little spiders scattered around the closet that Fred and I had to break through in order to reach the brooms at the very back. Once the closet was flushed out and cleaned, we worked on polishing the brooms and talked amongst each other.

Fred shared some of the pranks they had done in their previous years, leaving me wondering how they have not gotten expelled yet. 

“In our third year, George and I had bewitched several snowballs to hit the back of our teacher’s turbin. Turns out, our Professor had _‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’_ attached to the back of his head and we were hitting him smack dab in the middle.”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter at the thought of Voldemort’s face being pelted with snowballs and the twins being completely oblivious. 

He also talked about his enjoyment of being the Gryffindor’s quidditch team and how it allows him to release any pent up energy he has. We were on our final few when Fred nudged me with a playful smile. 

“Hey. Still want to learn how to ride a broom? Now’s the best time to learn.” He got up from where he was sitting, pushing aside all the finished brooms and picking up one of them from the pile. “We’ve got this whole courtyard to ourselves.”

Having finished my stack and seeing that we had a lot of time left, I decided to go along with it. “Alright. Let’s do it.”

“It’s easy.” Fred reassured me as placed the broom beside me on the ground. “First, you need to focus. All you have to do is stick your right hand over the broom and say, ‘Up!’”

I stared at him suspiciously. “You’re lying. Why don’t I just pick it up?”

“Hey! I’m the teacher, you’re the student. Just do it,” he said smiling.

“If this is a prank, I’m going to beat you with this broom,” I threatened, but he ushered me to focus. With a huff, I extended my arm over it. Staring at the broom, I said, “Up!”

As expected, nothing happened.

“Up. Up! _Uuuuup_!” I repeated.

Feeling annoyed, I snapped my neck up and glared at him as he laughed. 

“You lied!” I shouted, grabbing the broom and chasing Fred with it. 

“No! I swear! This is how you do it!” He said, still laughing while I chased him around the courtyard. “You need to say it like you mean it!”

“ _Like I mean it?_ I’m telling a broom to get off the ground.” 

He finally stopped running and I was able to catch up with him, batting his head with the broom lightly. 

“Okay, watch me,” Fred said, plucking the broom from my hand and placing it on the ground. As soon as he said _Up!_ the broom was in his hand. “See?” He smirked. “Easy.”

“Give me that.” I snatched the broom back and mirrored his actions, but nothing happened. After multiple attempts, I grew frustrated and shouted, “Get up before I break you in half!” 

Suddenly, the broom jerked up and hit me directly in the face. I heard Fred bite back a snort as I winced in pain, rubbing my nose. “I want a different broom.”

Stifling a laugh, Fred reached down and cupped my face in his hands. My eyes widened in surprise at the sudden action. He tilted my head up towards him and I noticed how much a difference our heights were. Fred was a whole foot taller than me, but he leaned down to take a closer look, our faces inches apart. 

“Hm… it doesn’t look bruised. Does it hurt when I touch it?” He asked, brushing his finger lightly against the bridge of my nose. I gulped, feeling heart racing. 

“Uh. n-no. I-it’s okay,” i said, pulling back and creating some distance between us. Clearing my throat, I grabbed another broom from the ground and kicked the old one aside. 

“Hey! I’ll have to repolish it now!” Fred exclaimed, picking it up and inspecting the broom. 

“Let’s skip the first part and get straight to the flying.” I looked eagerly at Fred for the next direction. “What’s next?”

He instructed me to mount the broom, doing the same himself with the one I had tossed aside. “Now kick off the ground like this,” and he shot up, hovering just a few feet in the air. 

Gulping, I did as he instructed and kicked off the ground. I gripped tightly around the broom as it raised into the air and I swayed in place. It took a while to find my balance, but when I did, I felt a surge of excitement. 

“I’m doing it! I’m flying!”

“Don’t get too excited, Black. You haven’t learned to move around yet,” Fred said in amusement. 

After a few minutes, I started to get the hang of flying short distance. We stuck to being near to the ground after I had close encounters of falling off my broom, but it wasn’t that bad. 

We eventually had to land and finish up the last of our brooms in case Madam Hooch or Filch came over to check on us. We organized the rest of the brooms into the closet and made our way to the Great Hall for lunch where I happily told my friends about my first flying experience. 

  
  
  
  
  


My friendship with Fred became stronger after that. 

Although I was close with both of the twins, Fred and I often spent more time together. Usually the twins are inseparable, but Fred would often make time to hang out with me personally or walk me to class, even when his class was in the opposite direction. 

My crush on him worsened with every gesture he made, but I pushed the feelings aside, afraid of reading the signals wrong. 

Fred is definitely popular. It wasn’t a secret that he and his brother are friendly to everyone, but their friend circle was tight. I felt lucky to be a part of it that I didn’t want my feelings to ruin anything.

As long as I had Fred by my side, I was content with our casual flirting, playful banter, and innocent pranks.


End file.
